LSU slid to No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, released Sunday, following its 32-24 loss to Ole Miss. The Tigers dropped 3 spots from their previous ranking of No. 7.
The defeat was a costly one for LSU that could be difficult to navigate later in the season with an early season loss. The Tigers will need to be close to perfect considering they only have room to lose one more game, possibly two, in order to make the playoffs. As far as rankings go, No. 10 is a great spot to be at that the Tigers should look forward to building off.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, moved up to No. 4 in the poll, its highest ranking of the season. The Rebels’ win over the Tigers gave them the strongest and most impressive win of any team in the country this week.
LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin will need some impressive wins over ranked opponents to climb back into the conversation. The SEC schedule leaves plenty of chances to do that, and one loss in September is far from fatal in the current playoff landscape. Still, the margin for error is shrinking. LSU now has a loss on its record, and the committee and voters will be watching how the team responds over the coming weeks.
The Tigers turn their attention to No. 23 Texas A&M on September 26th, a game LSU needs to win convincingly to stay afloat. It should be interesting to see what adjustments will be made this week leading up to gameday, as the Tigers have many areas that need to be addressed.
Here is how the rest of the top 25 shaped up in Week 4:
— Eric Palmer, TigerSources